


Putting It Back Together Again

by Book_Junkie007



Series: Rewriting Torchwood [2]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: AU, Community: casestory, F/M, Gen, Mild Language, Nepal, Non-Explicit Sex, Original Character(s), Rewritten Torchwood, Year That Never Was
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-09
Updated: 2012-07-09
Packaged: 2017-11-09 12:47:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/455609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Book_Junkie007/pseuds/Book_Junkie007
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/444336">It All Falls Apart</a></p>
<p>Set during the four months between End of Days and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. The team is still coming to terms with Jack's abandonment, while Gwen, the new head of Torchwood, is also dealing with the fact that Rhys is truly gone. The Prime Minister's phone call to the remaining members of the team takes them, along with Benjamin Stratford, a new recruit, to the mysterious Himalaya to see if the Yeti is real, and if it needs their help getting home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It took a village to write this fic, so thanks goes out to:  
> \- karaokegal and veritas6.5 for being absolutely fabulous betas  
> \- @kaddison_ on Twitter for sharing her experiences in Nepal and making sure I had Kathmandu accurate  
> \- @CCTerry_ for listening to my rants and giving me feedback on scenes I wasn't sure about  
> \- @AsphyxiaPallida for cheering me on  
> \- @Miss_T2011 for reading things over, giving me feed back, and cheering me on  
> \- My boyfriend for helping me figure out machinery, which I'm useless at  
> \- Everyone on Twitter, LJ, and in real life who have put up with me babbling about this fic for the last six months. I love you all. <3
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood as I am Canadian. I kind of live in the wrong country. :P
> 
> [Link to the artwork for this fic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/456000)

Gwen pushed herself back from the desk and sighed. The past few days had been spent writing reports on the most recent aliens the team had come across and doing other paperwork necessary for Torchwood to keep its funding. She couldn’t wait to finish up so she could go out with the rest of the team for drinks. It had been forty-nine days since Jack had disappeared, and she was doing all she could to keep Torchwood going. Ianto had helped a lot with the day-to-day activities, but she was still ultimately responsible.

“Almost ready, Gwen?” Ianto asked from the doorway.

“Yep,” she replied. “Just need to sign this one last thing,” she added, signing a paper with a flourish. “There, done. Time to drink,” she said with a smile.

“As long as Owen doesn’t get drunk enough to start singing karaoke this time, I think we will be okay,” Ianto replied, offering Gwen her leather jacket.

“Oh, we’ll be fine.”

They walked into the main part of the Hub from Jack’s (now Gwen’s) office.

“All right, Tosh?” Gwen called. “Ready to go?”

“Just let me set the Rift alerts, and then we should be ready,” Tosh responded.

Owen came up from the medical bay, wiping his hands on a towel. “Alien’s in cold storage,” he said. “Let’s drink!”

The foursome headed out of the Hub into the night, laughing and joking along the way. At first, things had been a little rocky without Jack, with all of them having learning curves about how to operate while relying only on themselves, but eventually it had become a lot smoother. There were still bumps and hiccups, though, such as Owen forgetting to tell Gwen he needed more containers, which caused alien bits to fall off the edge of the counter and eat through Toshiko’s shoes, only barely stopping at her feet.

As they settled into their normal booth at their favorite pub, Gwen reflected that they chatted and laughed and acted like a group of twenty-somethings who didn’t save the world on a regular basis.

“Hey, sweet cheeks,” Owen said, addressing the cocktail waitress who had come over to serve them yet another round. “How about you and I have a drink when you’re off, eh? I have some stories to tell that you wouldn’t believe,” he winked.

The bartender rolled her eyes as she served the others. “Honey, by the time I’m off, you won’t be able to walk straight,” she told him.

“Ooo, I like a challenge,” Owen growled and watched as she walked off without giving him a second look.

“So, Gwen, tell us another funny story about Rhys,” Toshiko said, taking a sip of her drink and looking over at Owen with a slight longing in her eyes.

“Okay,” Gwen said, smiling back. “There was this one time...” and she continued her story.

The others had been great about Rhys’ death, getting Gwen to open up when they felt she needed to, and not pushing when they sensed she needed some time to herself. Gwen and Tosh had become close friends, with Gwen spending nights on Tosh’s sofa, both of them enjoying time together.

Working with Owen had been tense at first, with Jack being gone, Rhys being dead, and their past affair piled on top. Even after Gwen had taken over the command of Torchwood, with the others’ permission, there had still been a bit of a rocky relationship between herself and Owen. Things were starting to level out a bit between them, however, and Gwen and Owen were starting to form an almost harmonious relationship. Well, as harmonious as it could be between them: there was still plenty of bickering and arguments.

After a couple of hours, and many drinks, the team decided to head for home.

“Where are you sleeping tonight?” Ianto asked Gwen, slurring his words a bit.

Gwen noticed Ianto’s slurring and thought that it was a good thing he was loosening up while around the team. Either that or he was missing Jack as much as she was, and was drinking to forget that he was gone and possibly not coming back. “I think I’m going to try sleeping at home tonight, thanks Ianto,” Gwen replied. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“All right,” Ianto said, and called a taxi for her.

Gwen stumbled up the stairs to her flat and looked around. She hadn’t stayed in it much since Rhys died. Or stayed dead. Whichever. She was glad for the silence, though. She didn’t think she would have been able to handle staying with one of the others. Not tonight, when it would have been her and Rhys’ anniversary tomorrow.

However, she hadn’t wanted to stay at home alone tonight either, not when the team went out for drinks on a weekly basis. It felt easier, somehow, to continue her new routine than to stay behind, stuck in the past. Gwen went to the kitchen, and started boiling water for a cup of tea, her custom before going to bed after a night of drinking.

She sat down at the table and looked around the semi-dark flat, illuminated only by the street lamps. The pictures on the shelves only caught bits of light, but it was enough to see vague shapes of figures. Gwen reflected on her memories with Rhys. She felt it was time to move forward with her life. Rhys was gone, and who knew if Jack was going to come back, although Gwen fervently hoped he would. Her purpose now was to keep Torchwood running to the best of her ability.

The kettle whistled, and she got up to make her tea. She drank her tea, still going through memories of Rhys, swallowed a couple of paracetamol, and went on to the bedroom, throwing herself onto the bed and immediately falling into the sleep of the drunk.

The next morning Gwen raced out early to make it to the Hub before the others. She walked into the Hub to the smell of coffee.

“When are you ever not here before me?” Gwen asked Ianto, taking off her leather, as he came out of the kitchen with two mugs of coffee. “It’s like you live here.”

Ianto said nothing, but the guilt in his eyes sent a clear message.

“You don’t, do you?” Gwen asked, putting her hand on Ianto’s arm. “Oh, Ianto,” she sighed. “Do you only go home when I come with you?”

Ianto nodded.

“You do realise you’re of no use to me if you don’t take care of yourself?” Gwen asked. “You helped me, are still helping me, so let me help you.” Gwen gave Ianto a hug, attempting to not spill her coffee or his. Ianto was stiff until Gwen pulled away. “How about this? If ever you feel like talking outside of our normal times, call me, and I’ll come over, okay?”

“All right,” Ianto nodded.

“But you still need to make sure your own needs are met,” Gwen warned.

“It’s a bit difficult when _he’s_ gone,” Ianto replied, subtly twisting her words.

“I know, Ianto, I know,” Gwen soothed. “Come on, back to work.”

Gwen and Ianto walked up to her office to decide on a plan of action for the day, providing no Rift alerts came through.

“How’s your head?” Gwen asked as she sat down behind the desk. “You were almost as drunk as Owen last night.”

“I’m fine,” Ianto said, waving away Gwen’s concerns. “How are you?”

“Fine,” Gwen said, taking a sip of coffee then looking into the distance. “It’s our anniversary today,” she added quietly.

“Ah,” Ianto said.

“So, what do we know about Benjamin Stratford?” Gwen asked, changing the subject.

Ianto pulled out the folder Gwen and he had compiled and flipped it open. “Benjamin Stratford, twenty-five years old, graduated in the top ten percent of his class at the University of Edinburgh three years ago, recently found suspicious matter mixed in with human samples, and tested them. He’s been trying to convince his colleagues that the tissue he’s found is alien, but they don’t believe him.”

“Excellent,” Gwen replied. “It would be nice to have extra help around the Hub. Make it that much less stressful on everybody.”

“Just need to run it past the others when they get here, and I think we will be good to go,” Ianto responded.

Gwen and Ianto continued to work through the paperwork and list for the day before the cog door opened with the siren, and Gwen heard Toshiko and Owen enter, laughing and joking.

“Here they are,” Gwen said. “Team meeting time.”

“Right,” Ianto agreed, and followed Gwen out the door.

“Conference room in five minutes,” Gwen called to the others before heading there herself.

Five minutes later, the rest of the team gathered and the meeting began. Tasks were handed out, progress reports made, and other daily items accounted for. Finally the topic of Benjamin Stratford came up.

“Let’s begin,” Gwen said. “We’ve had reports of a man who found alien matter,” she reiterated what Ianto had told her. “We’re also interested in recruiting him to Torchwood. Here’s the file on him,” she said, passing folders to Tosh and Owen to peruse. “What do you two think?”

Owen finished reading first. “He sounds like an okay bloke. Course, I would have to make sure the tissue is actually alien, and that he’s not completely off his rocker, but he could be useful.”

“I like the sound of him,” Toshiko said, setting down her file, “and the University of Edinburgh is a good school. It would be nice to have an extra person around. The balance has been...off since...” Toshiko’s voice trailed off.

Gwen nodded. “That’s sorted, then. Ianto and I have already set up a meeting with him, we just wanted to make sure he was okay with you.”

“Come off it, Gwen,” Owen said. “You just wanted to make sure we would be okay with moving on. This is what it is, in a way. After all, it’s not like anything worse could happen without _him_ ,” he continued bitingly.

“Thanks, really,” Gwen said, gathering up files and papers. “Meeting’s over. Ianto and I are going out, but you know what to do.”

Ianto helped Gwen into her leather jacket before getting into his own and they walked out of the Hub. “Think they’ll be okay?” she asked as they walked to the SUV.

“Yes,” Ianto said. “And if they’re not, it’s not like we haven’t dealt with the end of the world before.”

Gwen laughed as she climbed into the passenger seat.

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

Benjamin accepted his cup of tea from the barista and went to sit at a corner table in the coffee bar. He wasn’t quite sure why he had been called and asked to meet with a mysterious person whom he knew only as Gwen. Maybe this had something to do with the tissue he’d found. He thought back to the first time he had discovered aliens.

_Benjamin had woken up in the middle of the night. It was the summer holidays, so it wasn’t imperative to go back to sleep right away. After trying to fall back to sleep for a bit, he gave up and crept downstairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. He turned on the television and turned down the sound until it was only a slight murmur. He flipped through the channels, trying to find something interesting. Stopping on a program which showed humans on an alien planet with a space ship, he quickly became engrossed with the story, and fell asleep on the sofa._

_His father had found him the next morning, still sprawled out on the couch._

_From then on, his life had become consumed with aliens. He learned everything he could about them, through books and the late night programs he was able to sneak in. Later, he devoured science-fiction books from the classic authors such as Philip K. Dick and Edgar Rice Burroughs, as well as current authors. He watched everything related to aliens that he could, regardless of whether it was based in fact or not. Science-fiction became his constant companion through the ups and downs of life._

He looked up when a man and a woman came through the door and walked up to the counter. The man had on a suit and the woman wore dark clothes and high boots. Her hair was long and dark. Benjamin continued to watch as they accepted their orders and walked over to his table.

“Benjamin Stratford?” the woman asked.

“That’s me,” Benjamin said, perplexed.

“I’m Gwen Cooper, and this is Ianto Jones,” she said, nodding to the man beside her. “I asked you for a meeting. May we sit down?”

“Yeah, of course,” Benjamin said, watching them as they settled themselves on the other side of his table.

“Not as good as yours,” Gwen addressed Ianto, taking a sip of her coffee. “It may be as good as Tosh’s.”

Ianto smirked. “I think that’s a compliment to their coffee,” he said, taking a sip of his own.

“Tell us about the alien tissue,” Gwen said to Benjamin, getting right down to business.

“Hang on,” Benjamin said, slightly startled. “How do you know about the alien tissue?”

“We have connections,” Ianto said, with a smile Benjamin couldn’t quite figure out.

“All right...” Benjamin said slowly, not quite believing him. “I received a sample in the lab that I wasn’t quite sure about. I did a gross examination on the tissue then sliced and stained it, examining it with a light microscope. I’m fairly sure it’s not of this world,” he finished, “but no one else is willing to believe me. I think they’re starting to think I’m crazy.”

Benjamin watched as Gwen and Ianto gave each other a glance he couldn’t quite decipher.

“So, tell us what your duties are at your present job, in general,” Ianto said.

“Well,” Benjamin said, thinking it was an odd question to follow up with, more in line with a job interview than casual conversation, and explained the procedures he followed, the techniques he used, and how he recorded the results he found.

“Describe your work style,” Gwen said with a slight smile.

As Benjamin told them, and they alternated asking him questions, his sense that the conversation had turned into a job interview grew.

Finally Gwen and Ianto exchanged a look, and stood up.

“Thank you for your time,” Gwen said. “If you have any further questions, here’s my card. You can call me at any time.”

Benjamin watched from the table as they walked out of the coffee bar. He turned the card Gwen gave him over and over in his hands.

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

“Do you think he’s going to call?” Gwen asked, slipping into the passenger’s side of the SUV.

“Oh, definitely,” Ianto said, starting the SUV. “We’ve been the only two people who are willing to listen to him about his _alien nonsense_. Of course he’s going to call.”

“It will be nice to be back to normal numbers,” Gwen said thoughtfully as Ianto pulled the SUV out and headed back to the Hub. “Things have felt unbalanced since Jack left.”

“Maybe this will give us back our balance,” Ianto suggested.

“I hope so,” Gwen said, leaning back in her seat.

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

Benjamin spent the rest of the day at work, running through the samples again, although they gave him the same results no matter how many times he ran them, and eventually went home to his flat. He ate dinner, thinking about the mysterious Gwen and Ianto who had come to talk with him. They had seemed unsurprised at his claims of the samples being alien, and had almost seemed sympathetic. He thought about how the meeting had become a job interview in a sense, and that intrigued him more than anything. Why were they asking him those questions if they didn’t want to hire him?

Working in a different place wouldn’t necessarily be such a bad thing. His colleagues already thought he was losing his marbles; if he were working at a different company, they wouldn’t be able to whisper about him. And they seemed like interesting people, if a bit secretive. Neither of them was bad looking either, which was always a plus.

He pulled the card out of his pocket, which was starting to become worn along the edges from the many times he had read it and replaced it. He found his mobile and dialed the number on the card.

“Hello?” Gwen answered.

“Yeah, hi,” Benjamin said. “You said I could call you...”


	2. Chapter 2

Benjamin glanced at the address he had written on a scrap of paper, then at the derelict building in front of him. It wasn’t exactly what he had been expecting when Gwen gave him the address the night before. He’d anticipating something a bit more ... office-like. Still, he rolled back his shoulders and prepared to enter the tourist office.

He pushed open the door and saw the man who had come with Gwen (Ianto, was it?) sitting at the desk in the room.

“Benjamin,” Ianto said, nodding at him.

“Hi,” Benjamin said. “Gwen said to come here for work...?” he trailed off.

“Right.” Ianto pressed a button or switch of some kind beneath the desktop. A door opened in the wall behind him. “Just down the corridor to the lift, and Gwen will meet you at the bottom.”

“Thanks.” Benjamin started down the dimly lit hallway, which was as dilapidated as the tourist office he had just left.

As Benjamin headed down the hall, and then down into the lift, oddly out of place in this building, into what he hoped was the main part of the base, he became more intrigued by the apparent depth to which he was descending and that he still hadn’t reached Gwen.

The lift discharged him in front of what seemed to be a cog-shaped doorway, and it rolled back with a siren’s wail at his approach, revealing Gwen standing on the other side.

“Good, you’re here,” Gwen said. “Come in and I’ll start showing you around. Ianto will be down in a bit.”

“Okay,” Benjamin said uncertainly.

“Great, let’s get started! First things first, you need to meet the others. You’ve already met Ianto, my second-in-command, now you’ll meet our technical analyst and medic. Tosh, Owen!” Gwen called. “Come here when you have a moment, please!”

A petite Japanese woman walked over from one of the computers. Benjamin squinted at the monitor she had been working at, but couldn’t decipher the program she had running. She was rather attractive, though. Benjamin decided he would probably ask her for a drink later, when he was more settled into the job and what it entailed.

“Toshiko Sato, meet Benjamin Stratford,” Gwen said.

“Hi.” Toshiko held out her hand.

“Pleasure to meet you.” Benjamin took her hand.

“What’s the fuss about?” A man in a lab coat said, walking up a set of stairs from another level, wiping his hands on a towel.

“Nice of you to join us,” Gwen greeted him. “Owen Harper, meet Benjamin Stratford.”

“It’s _Doctor_ Owen Harper,” he reminded Gwen. “You’re the replacement, eh?” Owen said, holding out a hand.

“Replacement?” Benjamin said. “I didn’t think I was a replacement for anyone,” he was a bit confused.

“’Course you are, you’re replacing our illustrious leader, who did a bunk on us,” Owen snorted. “You’re helping to even out the numbers again.”

“Leader? I was under the impression that Gwen is your leader,” Benjamin said, bemused.

“She is, at least until Jack comes back, if he ever does,” Owen said sardonically.

“Ah. So Jack was the leader? What was he like?” Benjamin asked.

“Jack’s brave, loyal, and fearless. He does whatever it takes to save the world. And he isn’t gone forever, he will come back,” someone said quietly behind Benjamin, with the tone of someone repeating something to themselves so it will eventually become true. He turned around to see Ianto. “You can learn more about him later. For right now, let’s get started with your training.”

“Owen, would you be able to show Benjamin your area?” Gwen asked. “It’s where he’s going to be needed the most, so it would be helpful for him to start there.”

“Sure thing, _leader_ ,” Owen said sardonically and headed back to the medical bay.

Benjamin looked toward Gwen, who gave a nod of encouragement to him, so he followed Owen, wondering if Owen was always like this.

“Right, so this is my space,” Owen said over his shoulder. “But I guess you’ll be sharing it.”

“If that’s all right,” Benjamin said hesitantly.

“Do you have any more of that tissue that you thought was alien?” Owen asked.

“Yeah, right here.” Benjamin dug the sample out of the bag he had been carrying with him.

“Let’s see what you can do.”

Benjamin was a bit nervous setting up his experiments and using the unfamiliar equipment, but he eventually got used to it. Labs were his home; there was a rhythm and flow to them that soothed him. Finally, he leaned back from the microscope which held a slide of his alien tissue so Owen could get a look.

“Good work, Sherlock,” Owen said, after taking a look at the sample. “It’s alien all right. A bit of tissue from an alien from the Small Magellanic Cloud.”

Benjamin stood in shock for a moment. He honestly hadn’t expected the vindication. He felt a smile spread across his face.

“What are you smiling about?” Owen asked.

Benjamin composed his face into a more serious expression. “Nothing,” he said. “Just that I was right.”

Owen looked at him then shrugged. “All right, then. Now let’s see if you can figure out what this tissue is, alien or human...” he said as he set up another slide for Benjamin to look at.

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

A few days later, Benjamin stood beside one of the computers, listening to Toshiko explain the mainframe system to him in more detail. It had been nonstop training so far. There were apparently many protocols to follow when catching aliens, even if the rest of the team could be believed about the organisation being totally outside the influence of major law enforcement.

Benjamin’s thoughts wandered towards Toshiko, and how he was enjoying learning more about her. From what he had learned so far, she was brave and passionate about her work. He had asked her to go out for a drink when things settled down for him, and she hadn’t outright said no. He was taking that as a good sign. He came out of his reverie and tried to catch up with what Toshiko was saying. She was a good analyst, but sometimes she got caught up in the technical side of things in her explanations. As opposed to Owen, who was slightly grating. Working with him was...interesting, to say the least.

Benjamin looked up when Gwen banged out of the glass office.

“Conference room in five minutes, please!” she called across the Hub, heading in that direction.

Benjamin watched as she passed by Ianto, briefly touching him on the arm and saying something to him. Ianto nodded and went off in the direction of the kitchen. He was going to get coffee, Benjamin guessed. He had only been here a few days, but he was getting the feeling that coffee was the main drink of the team. He preferred tea himself, and Ianto had made sure the kitchen was stocked with some of his favorites. His love of tea made him a bit of an oddity on this team, but he was less of an outsider here compared with how he had felt in his last job.

Toshiko finished her explanation and said, “Come on, might as well get to the conference room now.”

Benjamin nodded and followed her.

As the rest of the team sat in their accustomed places around the large table, Benjamin contemplated how smoothly the team seemed to work together, and how easily he himself was being assimilated. It was nice, in a way. There was more of a sense of camaraderie in this workplace. The team tended to rely on and to trust each other unconditionally. Benjamin hoped he would soon be part of the fold.

Ianto entered with a tray full of mugs and cups, and started handing coffees around the table, along with Benjamin’s tea, before sitting down next to Gwen.

Benjamin took a sip, and smiled to himself. It seemed Ianto had figured out fairly quickly how Benjamin liked his tea: black, no matter what type of tea it was.

Gwen stood at the head of the table. “Right,” she started. “I just received a call from the Prime Minister. He said he had something for us.”

“What does he want?” Owen asked. “He hasn’t been as interested in our affairs as Harriet Jones was.”

“Apparently he’s received reports of some kind of being in the Himalaya, and would like us to go check it out,” Gwen replied. “I told him it would take a few days for us to prepare, but we could leave straight after that.”

“Did he say what it was?” Toshiko asked with interest, leaning forward a bit.

“The Yeti,” Gwen stated. “He says it’s real, and it may be an alien, therefore it needs our help.”

Ianto took a sip of his coffee. “Torchwood has records of an alien creature crash landed in the Himalaya, starting in the 1950s. It was decided that it wasn’t a threat, because it was in such an isolated setting, but an eye should be kept on it. I guess the Prime Minister feels differently. What do we need to do?”

“Travel arrangements, entry documents, the usual. Tosh, would you be able to sort something out?” Gwen asked. “I’ll put in a call to UNIT, ask if they would be able to help with the organization of our trek when we get to Nepal.”

“Certainly,” Toshiko nodded. “Do you know specifically where in the Himalaya we will be going so I can get the right permits?”

“I’d say we should try to start in Kanchenjunga,” Benjamin suggested. The others stared at him until he began to feel uncomfortable. “I’ve read it’s where the majority of Yeti sightings occur,” he explained.

Benjamin felt Gwen’s eyes on him, considering. He wondered if she would take him seriously, considering he’d only been on the team for a few days. “Fine,” she said. “Tosh, permits for Kanchenjunga.”

“On it,” Toshiko said, already working on her PDA.

“Anything else we need?” Ianto asked.

“Yeah,” Gwen said. “Cold-weather camping gear.”

“We’ll get that later then,” Ianto decided. “First things first.”

The rest of the day and part of the next was a flurry of activity in the Hub. Toshiko found flights to and from Nepal: Cardiff to Glasgow to Dubai to Kathmandu. Permits and travel visas were acquired, requiring so many photos that Benjamin was afraid he was going to be seeing lights in front of his eyes for days.

Benjamin rode in the SUV for the first time, which was an interesting experience in itself. He had never seen so many pieces of technology crammed into such a small space. He spent most of the ride peppering Toshiko with questions about the equipment which she gladly explained.

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

Gwen led the team toward the camping supply store. There were backpacks, tents, camping stoves, and clothing everywhere. Toshiko had done a fair amount of research on what would be needed in Nepal, so they had some idea of what they were looking for.

“All right, what’s first? Let’s get this over with,” Owen said, trying to sound like he knew what he was doing and that he didn’t loathe camping. Gwen knew his opinion of camping hadn’t changed since the trip to the Brecon Beacons which had gone so horribly wrong, not that she could blame him. She tried to shake off her memories of that excursion. It felt like a lifetime ago.

“Backpacks, I guess,” Gwen responded, trying to sound confident, and led the way to that section of the store.

The team looked at backpacks for a few minutes, trying to puzzle out what the various labels meant, before a salesperson wandered over.

“Can I help you find anything today?” he asked. He had reddish hair in a shaggy cut and startling green eyes.

Toshiko looked up from the backpack she was holding. “If it’s not too much trouble,” she responded. “We’re looking for camping gear for a trek to Nepal. I’m Toshiko, by the way,” she added, holding out a hand.

“Jake,” he responded, and shook her hand. “Well, first things first. You,” he nodded at Gwen, “are holding a man’s hiking backpack. It’s completely unsuitable for you. And you,” he nodded at Benjamin, “are holding a woman’s daypack. I’m sorry, but I don’t think you have the curves for it.”

Benjamin flushed and put the backpack down quickly. “So, what do you suggest instead?”

Jake wandered through the selection of backpacks and chose one, holding it out to Benjamin, who took it. “Try this one,” he suggested. “How long are you going for?”

“Six weeks,” Gwen replied. “We’re hiking the north and south Kanchenjunga circuits.”

“Cool, and when are you leaving? Jake asked.

“In two days,” Ianto responded.

“Blimey, you’re not giving yourselves a lot of time to get ready, are you?” Jake asked, astonished. “Most people who are going to Nepal plan months in advance.”

“It was kind of a last-minute thing,” Ianto replied defensively.

Jake didn’t push further and instead helped figure out the best backpacks for them before moving on to tents, where they found a four-person tent for the men and a three-person tent for Gwen and Toshiko.

“Your equipment’s always going to take up more room than you thought it would,” Jake had explained.

They accumulated camp stoves and heavy sleeping bags, as well as many other miscellaneous items needed for an extended trek in the Nepalese Himalaya. The pile of “necessaries” was growing exponentially.

Then it was onto the “fun” portion of the shopping trip: clothing. Toshiko had researched basic packing lists for trekking in Nepal and had printed a personalised list for each of them.

“Nepal is weird in that it has a warm climate in the lowlands, where Kathmandu and the Terai is situated, where everything can be muggy and hot, but as you go up the mountains, it gets colder because of the higher altitudes.” Toshiko explained, as she handed out the lists. “So it’s best to be prepared for all four seasons when you're trekking: the warm days in the lowlands and then the freezing cold ones when you're halfway up the side of a mountain.”

“What does this mean, no leather jacket or boots?” Gwen asked, pointing at the note printed neatly in blue ink at the top of her list.

“Cows are sacred to the Hindus,” Toshiko explained. “It would just be easier all around if you didn’t take them: fewer headaches.”

“All right,” Gwen grumbled, perusing the rest of her list, “but I’ll miss it.” Later, Gwen was looking at herself in a wraparound skirt in a mirror, “I will not wear a skirt whilst trekking.”

“Come on, Gwen,” Toshiko cajoled. “I’m going to take some. They’re comfortable and practical, even on a trek. I read blogs suggesting it. The skirts will also help you blend in with the culture: women usually don’t wear pants in Nepal.”

“Tosh is right,” Ianto added.

“Well, I do look rather good in it,” Gwen mused. “I guess I could take a couple,” she relented. “But I’m taking some quick-drying trousers as well.”

“Fair enough,” Ianto responded, smiling slightly.

Gwen paid for the equipment with the Torchwood credit card, and the multiple bags were sorted by person, gathered up and stuffed in the back of the SUV. Each member of the team went to their respective homes and gathered the personal bits and pieces they would need for the trip, before reconvening in the Hub and hunkering down to the most important part of the pre-travel checklist: packing. Owen’s medical kit was split amongst the five of them, as well as some alien technology which Toshiko insisted would be useful.

Once everything was packed, and visas and permits had been double and triple checked, Gwen stood up.

“Good work, everyone, thank you!” she said. “You can go home now, get some sleep. Just remember that we’re meeting here at five am, so we can be at the airport by seven. Thanks everyone!”

The team started to gather their things that they needed to take home with them. They had decided to leave their bulkier luggage at the Hub and take a couple cabs to the airport together. It would be less stress on everybody.

Gwen caught up with Ianto and looped her arm through his. “Mind if I come home with you tonight?” she asked seductively.

“What were you thinking of doing? Maybe I can see what you look like without the skirt,” Ianto smirked.

“I think you’ll get lucky tonight,” she smiled sultrily back as they walked to his car.

It was going to be a long day tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

Ianto unlocked the door of his flat and allowed Gwen to enter first. She set down her bag, and he helped her take off her leather jacket. She had bought her first leather two and a half weeks after Rhys died. Ianto went with her to pick it out. She had insisted she had to toughen up if she was going to be the leader of Torchwood, and Ianto hadn’t disagreed. He thought she looked rather sexy in leather: more dangerous, like Jack. Gwen hadn’t quite reached the level of ruthlessness Jack had, and Ianto hoped she wouldn’t. She kept the balance in Torchwood, even if her ways of keeping the balance were unconventional at times.

Entering the bedroom, Ianto started to take off his tie, but Gwen stopped him.

“Let me,” she murmured, and began to undo it for him.

He closed his eyes and let his mind wander as Gwen undressed him. Jack had never been one for the gentle, slow build of easing into sex; he had been into ripping off every piece of clothing and shagging no matter where they were. Being with Gwen reminded him what it was like to have genuine intimacy beforehand.

Ianto had given much consideration to his relationship with Jack in the past few weeks. He was dissatisfied with how Jack had left, without a word to any of them. It made him feel like he, and the team, just weren’t enough to keep Jack in one place. And if he and the team weren’t enough, why had Jack stayed with Torchwood for as long as he had? Did they mean anything to him? Did Ianto? He was getting to the point where he wasn’t even sure if he would take Jack back if he ever returned.

He opened his eyes and started unbuttoning Gwen’s shirt. They never spoke during these moments. It was just a way to connect with someone else, after having been lonely or left behind. Gwen never rushed him, letting him take all the time he needed with every step. He felt relief from the pressure of holding it together for the benefit of the outside world, letting them see what they wanted to see. Gwen allowed him to just be the broken and bruised man who had fallen so many times it was a miracle he had the strength to get back up again. She was the same, which made what they did a bit more special. They were the comfort to each other that the outside world couldn’t give, because if the world saw their weakness they wouldn’t be seen in the same light or have the same respect.

Ianto offered his hand to Gwen. She took it, and together they made their way to the bed.

After they were done, Gwen curled into Ianto’s side. He put his arm around her, drawing her close, and they drifted off to sleep, two people alone in the world and deprived of what and whom they had had before. All they had in this moment was each other.

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

Gwen woke to the insistent beeping of the alarm, nestled into Ianto’s side, his arm still around her. She gently nudged him awake.

“Huh?” he mumbled.

“Time to get up,” she whispered. “We have to be at the Hub for 5:30.”

“Right,” he said.

Gwen followed him into the bathroom, admiring the view of his shapely arse as they both prepared for the long day of travel ahead.

After a quick breakfast and cup of coffee they left for the Hub. Parking in the underground car park, and grabbing their backpacks, they walked up to the Millennium Centre, where the rest of the team was waiting. Gwen surveyed her team, luggage scattered around them, taking in Owen’s slight smirk, Toshiko being busy with her PDA, and Benjamin watching Toshiko.

_Interesting,_ she thought. _I’ll have to focus on the implications of that later. Good for Tosh, though._ Aloud she said, “Has anyone called the taxis yet?”

“They’re coming in ten minutes,” Toshiko said, not looking up from her PDA.

“Excellent,” Gwen replied.

The taxis arrived, and everyone loaded their luggage in. Gwen watched as Benjamin offered to lift Toshiko’s bag into the cab for her and smiled to herself.

“Can I take your bag?” Ianto asked, suddenly appearing at her side.

“Yeah, sure. Thank you,” she said.

“It’s not a problem,” he said, allowing their hands to briefly touch.

It was a thirty-minute ride to Cardiff International Airport. The team disembarked from the taxis and retrieved their luggage.

“All right, let’s go,” Gwen said, leading the way, with Ianto walking closely beside her.

Check-in was fairly quick, as Torchwood had diplomatic status and special permission from the Prime Minister. After that it was the seemingly endless waiting in the departures lounge.

The 90-minute flight to Glasgow was followed by a four hour wait before their seven-and-a-half-hour flight to Dubai.

During the almost twelve-hour layover in Dubai, Gwen and the team checked into the Dubai International Hotel, located right in the airport, for some sleep. It was more luxurious than Gwen had expected to see in an airport, and she was in awe of the sleeping arrangements. In the morning, after a good breakfast, she and the rest of the team strolled through the airport, looking at the shops and food that was available. The terminal was much larger than she’d thought it would be, and she hoped they would be able to find their gate in time.

Finally, they just had the four-hour-and-fifteen-minute flight left, which took them to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. After twenty-nine hours of traveling, Gwen was relieved to have arrived at their destination.

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

Toshiko stood at the luggage carousel, waiting for her bag to be spit onto the belt so she could grab it. She felt someone come up beside her.

“How are you doing?” Benjamin asked.

“All right,” Toshiko said, shrugging. “There wasn’t much we could do about the flights. I had to work with what was available.”

“And you did well,” Benjamin said, grinning.

“Thanks,” she said, smiling shyly back. She liked Benjamin. He’d been her seat partner for the past twenty-nine hours, and the more she learned about him, the more she liked him. He was funny, and he looked at his work of running samples as an art form, much as she saw her programs as a chance to design something functional but still artistic.

“Oh, look, there’s mine!” Toshiko said, reaching to grab it.

“Let me,” Benjamin said, and lifted it off the carousel.

“Thanks,” she replied, and smiled at him again.

She looked over at where Ianto and Gwen were standing with Owen a little bit apart from them. They had risen to the challenge with the job Jack had left them with, and there had been relatively few mishaps (aside from that incident with the alien bits which had eaten through Toshiko’s shoes). Gwen being friendly with the police definitely helped, as they listened to her better than they had listened to Jack. Jack’s alpha posturing hadn’t made Torchwood a lot of friends with the Cardiff police department. Gwen was more polite with her requests, but she still got her way in the end.

“Let’s go,” Benjamin said, after grabbing his backpack.

“Okay,” Toshiko agreed, and pulled her backpack on.

Ianto had just handed Gwen’s bag to her when she spoke. “So, what would we like to do first? Go to the hotel and get some rest, or drop off our bags and get something to eat?”

“Get some rest,” Owen suggested. “I’m knackered.”

Gwen looked at Ianto who nodded then turned to Toshiko and Benjamin. “Tosh, Benjamin, that sound okay?” she asked.

“Sounds fine to me,” Toshiko said, nodding.

“Me too,” Benjamin added from beside her.

Gwen nodded.

Going through customs was a relatively slow process, and Toshiko was glad Benjamin had decided to follow her to her line. The wait didn’t feel as long with him there.

She went up to the man at the booth.

“Hello,” he said. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” Toshiko replied.

“Why are you here?” he asked her, sounding friendly enough.

“My friends and I are going to Kanchenjunga. We want to see the summit.”

“Ah, I see,” he said as he stamped her passport. “Have you heard of the Rum Doodle Restaurant and Bar here in Kathmandu? It’s where all the mountaineers gather.”

“I’ve seen some information about it during my research,” Toshiko said. “I’ll be sure to visit.”

“Excellent,” he said, smiling at her. “I hope you have a good time, and be careful: the Yeti is around those parts.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you,” she said, smiling back.

“Enjoy your stay in Nepal. Next,” he called.

Toshiko stepped away from the counter as Benjamin came up. She looked around and saw Gwen had already come through. She made her way to her.

“All right, Tosh?” Gwen said, smiling at her.

“Fine, thanks,” she replied, smiling back. “Just tired.”

“I think we all are. I can’t wait to get to the hotel, actually,” Gwen said.

Toshiko stood talking with Gwen until the others had gathered, then followed her out of the airport. Once they got outside, hot, humid air hit her in the face, and she and the others stopped and stood in shock. Chaos reigned.

There was noise and honking everywhere on the street. The sign that insisted on “No Honking” was a dusty, forlorn joke.

The road appeared to be in utter disrepair, making the sight of a whole family on one motorcycle even alarming, especially given the lack of helmets anywhere to be seen. It was hard to appreciate the brightly coloured saris when the driver of the motorcycle seemed to be taking the lives of himself, his kinfolk, and any potential pedestrians, in his hands with a certain cavalier attitude.

There were cyclers with rickshaws, and large piles of fruit, darting through the traffic. She turned back to the airport and was surprised to see monkeys climbing all over the roof. She couldn’t see the Himalaya from where she stood, though. This was definitely different from sleepy little Cardiff, or London, or even the intensity of Tokyo, where she had gone with her family over the years.

“There’s a cab,” Owen said, and walked forward to wave it down. The cab stopped, and Owen, Gwen, and Ianto moved to get in.

“You’ll be okay?” Gwen addressed Toshiko. “You know the address of the hotel and everything?”

“Yes, I do,” Toshiko replied.

“Okay, good,” Gwen said with a relieved smile. “We’ll wait for you in front of the hotel, and we’ll check in together.”

“Sounds good,” Toshiko said, smiling in agreement.

It took a bit of time, but Benjamin was finally able to flag down a cab. After talking with the driver and explaining exactly what they wanted, Toshiko and Benjamin got into the car. The drive through the city was slightly crazy, with people weaving in and out of the traffic, and everyone just barely missing each other, but they made it to the hotel without incident. Along the way, Toshiko noticed the children everywhere, the monks in the street and the prayer flags. The shop windows were filled with things that she didn’t see in Cardiff, making the city seem that much more exotic. Their driver chattered on about anything and everything, from his family to places to visit.

“Three hundred fifty rupees, please,” the driver said.

Toshiko watched as Benjamin pulled out four hundred fifty rupees and handed it to the driver.

“Thank you,” Benjamin said, before getting out.

Toshiko followed him out as he lifted their luggage out of the boot. Putting their backpacks on, they walked to the front door of the International Guest House. There were Oriental influences to the decor of the hotel, but it was still distinctly Nepali, or so she thought, given what she had seen of the buildings on the way to the hotel.

Gwen glanced up and waved them over.

“Oh, good, you made it. I wasn’t sure we would,” she said with a bit of a chuckle.

“I know what you mean,” Toshiko replied. “He was almost as bad a driver as Jack.”

Gwen laughed again. “Tosh, no one could be as bad a driver as Jack,” she said with a grin.

“That’s true,” Toshiko grinned back.

“All right, well, since we’re all here, let’s get checked in. Tosh, you did book good rooms, right?” Gwen asked jokingly.

“Yes, there’s a room for the men and a room for us. The men have to share a bed and there’s also going to be a cot in there,” Toshiko replied.

“Excellent,” Gwen said, and led the way to the counter.

The man walked over and looked at Ianto. “Namaste,” he said with a slight bow, his hands folded in front of his chest. “How can I help you?”

“Namaste,” Ianto replied, folding his hands in front of his chest and giving a slight bow. “We’re looking to check into our rooms, names under ... Torchwood?” Ianto asked, looking at Toshiko. She nodded so he continued. “Torchwood.”

“Right away, sir,” the man said, and went to get their keys. He handed them to Ianto and explained where their rooms were. Ianto nodded and turned back to the others.

“Okay,” he said, sorting through the keys. “Tosh, Gwen, here’s yours. Owen, Ben, yours. What’s the plan, Gwen?”

“Put our bags away, grab some supper, then get some sleep. I’m tired of aeroplane food,” she responded. “Meet back down here in a half hour.”

“All right,” Ianto replied. “See you in a bit.”

Toshiko led the way to their room, and used her key to open the door. “This is nice,” she said, stepping into the room. “Which side do you want?” she asked Gwen, who had followed her in.

“Right,” she decided.

“Okay, I’ll take left then.”

Toshiko dropped her bag to the floor. She went to the washroom and freshened up then sat on their bed, waiting for Gwen to finish in the loo.

“What do you think the trek will be like?” Toshiko asked when Gwen sat down next to her on the bed.

“Long, boring, slightly scary, but it will be amazing. What do you think?”

“I think it will be the experience of a lifetime.”

Toshiko and Gwen chatted a while longer about the upcoming trek and what they were expecting. Toshiko’s mind wandered to the days to come, and how they would find the Yeti, if it indeed existed. Her mind also wandered to how exhausted she was and how all she wanted was sleep. Food came first though, and she resigned herself to staying up for a bit longer.

Toshiko looked at her watch. “We should meet the others.”

“Right.”

Toshiko and Gwen made their way downstairs to the lobby where Benjamin, Owen, and Ianto were waiting.

“Where are we going for supper?” Ianto asked.

Toshiko took out her PDA. “There were some good reviews on the restaurants at the Yak and Yeti Hotel. Let’s try there.”

“Okay,” Gwen said. “Where do we go?”

Toshiko pulled the directions to the hotel on her phone, and the team set off. The team decided they would rather walk than attempt to deal with the craziness of the traffic again.

They were seated fairly quickly in the restaurant. The food and service was good and soon the team was heading back to their hotel.

Toshiko and Gwen entered their room and got ready for bed. Toshiko quickly fell into a deep sleep, dreaming about the next day and what it would bring.


	4. Chapter 4

Gwen woke in an unfamiliar bed. There had been a time when a strange bed meant she'd been with Owen and would need a convincing story to explain to Rhys why she hadn't been home. Those days were in the past; both she and Owen had made a choice about that. These days, it might mean she'd spent the night with Ianto, but in that case she'd have waked up warm and entangled with his limbs, but the chilly bed indicated that wasn't the case here. She turned over and saw Toshiko’s hair spread across the other pillow. She returned to her previous position and watched the light from the window for a few minutes until the alarm clock rang.

Toshiko rolled towards Gwen. “Morning,” she said sleepily.

“Morning. Get enough sleep?”

“I guess. We can always nap later, if need be.”

“Yeah. Do you want to shower first?”

“Yes, please,” Toshiko said, getting out of bed and heading toward her luggage.

Gwen thought about the days to come. She wasn’t sure if the rumours surrounding the Yeti were credible, and it would be hard to know if it existed for sure without additional information. She would have to find someone who had seen the Yeti and hear their stories so she could figure out their next move.

She had originally decided to come because it was the Prime Minister’s orders, but the more she thought about it, the more it became a personal choice for her. Gwen believed with a passion that Torchwood should help aliens whenever possible, even if that meant traveling to another country to check out reports. It was also what Jack would have done.

Her thoughts turned to Jack, wondering where he was and what he was doing, whether he was safe or not. She pondered again how he could have abandoned them, abandoned her, leaving her to deal with the fallout of Rhys’ death and Abaddon. Gwen sighed. It was an already old problem, and one she had no way of solving; not here, not now.

Toshiko came back from the shower, and Gwen roused herself to head in that direction too. Soon, they were both ready to meet the men downstairs. In the foyer, Gwen and Toshiko met Ianto, Owen, and Benjamin. Together, they decided to breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant before meeting their guide and porters for the trek to Kanchenjunga.

Sitting down for breakfast together, Gwen looked around fondly at her team, her family. Except for Benjamin, the others had been with her through all the insanity of learning the ropes of this job, this mad, but fulfilling job. They had supported her as she figured out how to be the commander of Torchwood, helped back her up to UNIT when there were questions about her ability to lead Torchwood adequately. She wasn’t sure where she would be without them. Dead, probably. All of them.

Finished with their breakfast, Gwen paid and led the way to the front door. With Toshiko’s help, they figured out how to get to where they were going to meet their porters and guide, and started off. The place was a coffee shop off the main roads of Kathmandu. Gwen went inside first.

“Namaste,” the man behind the counter said, putting his hands in the prayer position, and bowing slightly in her direction.

“Namaste,” she replied, returning the greeting.

“What can I get for you?”

Gwen scanned the menu. “How about a coffee, milk, and sugar?” A latte seemed unlikely in this place.

The man nodded. She watched as the rest of the team stepped forward to order their drinks, Benjamin ordering tea, as usual. After they received their beverages, Gwen led the way to a table big enough to accommodate them all when their porters and guide arrived.

Owen took a sip of his coffee. “That’s not so bad,” he said with a bit of surprise. “It’s not much different than hospital coffee.”

Encouraged by his reaction, Gwen took a sip. “I’ve had worse,” she agreed.

Benjamin looked into his mug. “This isn’t what I was expecting,” he said, tilting his mug so Gwen and the others could see the spices and milk in his tea. He took a sip. “It’s good!”

Gwen smiled at Benjamin and observed the team talking amongst themselves until a group of people walked into the coffee shop, clearly looking to for them. There were five men short in stature and dressed professionally. The person who asked at the front counter and was directed over to their table seemed to be the man in a position of authority, their guide.

“Those must be our guide and porters,” she said, standing up and waving them over.

One of the men, who had a small scar over his eyebrow, nodded toward them and started over. “Are you Torchwood?”

“Yes,” Gwen said. “If you would like to get drinks, we can sit down and talk about the upcoming trek.

Once they had ordered, they came back, and sat down at the table. Introductions were made. Their guide’s name was Raju and the porters names were Nischal, Bibek, Bijay, and Asim. Raju was going to act as translator for the others since they spoke English only poorly, and then they got down to business. Discussion about the expectations from the team, the porters, and the guide put them all on the same page for the trek. Transportation arrangements had been made, with the team and the guide and porters riding the bus to the start of the Kanchenjunga north loop, and flying back to Kathmandu from the small domestic airport at the end of the Kanchenjunga south loop. The team told the guide and porters as much as they could about the mission to find the Yeti, and what they were expecting to do if and when they found it.

After all the details were hashed out, and everyone understood what was going to occur over the next five weeks, Gwen asked, “Would you mind taking us on a tour of Kathmandu? We would love to see more of the city.”

The Nepalis agreed and the group trooped out of the coffee shop and into the bright, humid day. The team received a very detailed tour, with their guide pointing out temples, shops, and other points of interest around Kathmandu on a long and meandering walk. Gwen also made sure they found the right shops and bought the goggles, shoes, clothing, equipment, shelter, and plastic sheets required for the porters and guide to accompany them on their trip.

When it got closer to dinnertime, Gwen requested dinner at the Rum Doodle Restaurant and Bar.

“We have heard there are often people who have seen the Yeti gathered there,” Toshiko explained. “We would like to hear their stories.”

Raju agreed, and stepped forward to hail cabs.

After another dizzying ride, where Gwen thought surely she would be car-sick from the speed and seeming inattention of their driver, they were at the Rum Doodle Restaurant and Bar. Gwen paid the driver then followed Toshiko and Owen out. She looked back to see Ianto stepping out of the cab behind her, also looking slightly ill, Benjamin following. Their guide and porters arrived as well, and they headed up the stairs to the restaurant.

“Shall we?” Gwen asked, and proceeded to enter the restaurant.

Ianto followed and opened and held the door for the rest of the team.

Stepping inside, Gwen’s attention was immediately caught by the decor. There were massive cutouts of feet with writing on them everywhere in the restaurant. She looked closer at a cutout by the door: there were signatures and writings on it. She made a note to ask about them later.

“Namaste,” the woman behind the hostess stand greeted them, nodding towards Ianto, who had come up beside Gwen. Gwen understood it was the Nepali way to address men over women due to men’s higher social status, but when in Nepal, do as the Nepalis do. Still, she was starting to want to go back to Wales, where her command of Torchwood wouldn’t be seen as strange, and she would be seen as an equal, not below a male with her status. “How may I help you?”

“May we have a table for ten, please?” he asked. “We are a large group.”

“Of course, right this way,” she said, and led them to a table, passing out menus when they were seated. “Enjoy.”

“Thank you,” Gwen smiled at her.

“Namaste,” she replied, clasping her hands and bowing.

Gwen looked at the menu and decided what she would eat. She watched Toshiko and Benjamin, sitting across the table from her, Benjamin slightly leaning into Toshiko’s personal space. It appeared to Gwen that Toshiko didn’t mind.

The waiter came over and the team and their staff ordered their drinks and meals. As they waited for the drinks to come, they started to chat with each other and people at the table next to them, who had just come back from a trek.

“How was it?” Toshiko asked a woman with a friendly face. “We’re going on a trek starting tomorrow.”

“Oh, where are you going?” the woman asked with interest. “By the way, my name is Juliet.”

“Kanchenjunga,” Benjamin said. “We heard that was where we had to go to see the Yeti.”

“Oh, yes!” said another man at the table. “One of our guides has been on that trek. He said one of his family members saw a Yeti once there. He told us his story when we were sitting around the campfire one night. My name’s George.”

Gwen leaned forward. “What did it look like, George?”

As George described the same being that the guide’s cousin had seen, Gwen filed it away for further perusal. White, shaggy hair, taller than any normal man, with massive feet. It was a standard description, common in most Internet stories, but it was a start. Soon other members of the other table began adding their stories, and called over other people to share their stories as well. The amount of information had started to grow, to the point which Gwen was becoming certain that there was something not of this world living on the Kanchenjunga peak. She became determined to find it and help it. She didn’t want any creature to have to live on a strange planet lost and alone. Besides, it was what Jack would have done.

As Gwen and the rest of the team ate and continued to talk with their new acquaintances, they picked up tips and tricks. When it was time to go, they paid, then said good bye to everyone before leaving.

Outside, Gwen made sure that everyone knew when and where to meet for the bus that would take them to the start of the northern Kanchenjunga circuit, and the team said goodbye to their guide and porters who went back to their families for the night. Bracing herself for another slightly mad taxi ride, Gwen let Ianto hail the cabs.

Back at the hotel, Gwen and Toshiko headed up to their room. It would be another long day tomorrow.

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

Owen woke up in his bed. He looked over to see Benjamin snoring beside him and Ianto on the cot.

Today was the day they were heading out to the starting point for the northern Kanchenjunga circuit. He was not looking forward to it and was slightly worried considering what had happened the last time they had gone camping, but there was nothing he could do about this assignment. He had complained to Gwen several times while they were making their arrangements for the trek, but she had simply given him a look which said Don’t push it. Knowing what retaliation she was capable of, the least of which was making him feed the Weevils for a month, he didn’t.

He climbed out of bed and stumbled toward the shower. This would be the last one he would have for five weeks, until they got back to civilization, and he intended to enjoy it.

When he wandered out of the bathroom, rubbing a towel over his hair, another slung low around his hips, Benjamin and Ianto were up and checking their packs, making sure they still had everything they needed.

Ianto looked up from buckling a strap. “Took you long enough. Did you leave any hot water for us?”

“ ’Course I did.”

Ianto nodded. “Right. I’m off to have my own shower then.”

“Enjoy,” Owen said.

He looked at Benjamin, who was still sorting through his pack. Owen liked Benjamin: he was smart enough, but still naive, as Gwen had been when she first started. Benjamin had a better track record his first week than Gwen had had: he hadn’t got anyone killed yet.

After a quick breakfast and making sure everything was taken care of, the team went to the bus station for the bus that would take them to the start of the Kanchenjunga circuit.

The ride was not what Owen was expecting. The driver went around hairpin corners without slowing down, causing Owen to curse under his breath. Owen was sitting on the right side, which had proved to be a bad decision. Every so often, before he could think better of it, he would look down the cliff face and see rusted out buses at the bottom, tangled in piles of metal. His stomach twisted into a knot, thinking about how that could possibly be them, if their driver wasn’t careful.

Owen was one of the first off when they reached their destination, and as he stood, with his pack leaning against his legs, he watched the rest of the team get off. Toshiko looked a bit green, and Owen almost felt sorry for her. The others looked like they hadn’t fared much better.

The team gathered, and Owen watched as their guide came over to talk with them.

“We can’t start tonight,” he said. Owen glanced over and saw that he was addressing Ianto. “We have to camp here tonight then start in the morning.”

Owen watched as Ianto and Gwen exchanged glances.

“That’s fine, we were expecting that,” Ianto agreed.

“I’ll have some camp staff set up your tents. We will wake you at six tomorrow morning to start hiking.”

Owen groaned silently to himself. He hated getting up at six, but that would be the norm for the next five weeks. He supposed he would have to get used to it. And have coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

“Okay,” Ianto said. “Namaste.”

“Namaste,” their guide said, smiling.

Owen rolled his eyes at the exchange of greetings. Owen and the rest of the team watched as their staff set up their tents. A meal of dal bhat was cooked and consumed and it was finally time for the team to go to retire.

It would be a very long day tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

Benjamin woke up and stared at the tent canvas. Today was the first day of the trek to find the Yeti, which would most likely make or break how well he fit in with the group. He was excited about going, and thought that maybe this would be a chance to help him earn a permanent post, if what Owen said about himself being a replacement was to be believed. If the next five weeks went well, he would have a solid, positive workplace, one where he fit in and wasn’t considered odd. He was a bit amused with himself that he was more concerned with fitting in than the adventure which lay ahead. He needed somewhere to fit in: he’d felt like an outcast for too long.

His mum was a banker and his father an engineer, but they responded badly to him having a boyfriend. His mum had packed his bags for him and his father had gone along with her wishes to never hear from him again. He hadn’t heard from either of them in seven years, since he’d started at Uni. Sometimes he wished he had a safe place to go back to, but he couldn’t change anything; he could only keep moving forward.

He rolled his head to the side and looked at Ianto, whose eyes were starting to blink open. Ianto looked back at him with a slight smile. “Morning,” he said softly.

“Morning,” Benjamin replied.

Owen let out a grunt and opened his eyes. “It’s too bloody early to be up.”

There was a tapping at the door to the tent.

Benjamin crawled out of his sleeping bag and unzipped the door. “Yes?”

“Tea,” the cook said, handing him a mug. He motioned to Ianto with another mug that he wanted to give it to him. Ianto accepted the tea. “One moment, please.”

He returned a few minutes later and handed a mug to Owen who accepted it grudgingly.

“Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes,” the cook said, leaving. Benjamin zipped up the door.

Owen took a sip. “Bloody hell, that’s awful!”

Benjamin tried his. “It’s better than what they had at the hotel. I could get used to drinking this for the next five weeks.”

Benjamin, Ianto, and Owen talked quietly about the upcoming day, and what they hoped would happen while dressing and drinking their tea.

“What do you think it will be like?” Benjamin asked, pulling a shirt over his head.

“Horrible,” Owen said, pulling on pants. “The smell of grass is disgusting.” Ianto and Owen exchanged a glance that Benjamin couldn’t quite figure out.

“Do you think we’ll find something?” Benjamin asked.

“Yes,” Ianto said, “whether it’s positive or not, there’s definitely something out there.”

When their tea was finished, they pulled on their hiking boots and stepped out of the tent.

“Morning!” Gwen waved them over. “How did you sleep?”

“Not the best,” Owen said, flopping down on the ground. “You?”

“All right,” Gwen grinned. “Breakfast is going to be served soon.”

Benjamin noticed Toshiko sitting quietly on the other side of Gwen. “How did you sleep?”

She looked up and smiled at him. Benjamin felt his heart flip. Damn it, he was starting to sound like a teenager. “Well, thank you. You?”

“Good. How did you like the tea?”

Benjamin and Toshiko talked to each other while Gwen, Ianto, and Owen chatted with each other. Soon a server came over to them. “Breakfast,” he said.

Benjamin and the rest of the team ate their breakfast while the camp staff broke camp and got made preparations for the trek. Benjamin and the rest of the team grabbed their daypacks which they had packed themselves with everything they needed and followed their guide when they were ready to leave their campsite at eight a.m.

After three hours of solid hiking, they arrived at their lunch site, where the cook and his staff had prepared a meal of dal bhat, or rice and beans. After finishing their meal, Benjamin and the rest of the team got ready for the next three hours of their hike. Benjamin had been into hiking during university, going on hiking trips with friends, but he hadn’t hiked properly in years, and he was starting to feel it. He was sure his feet would hurt by the time they arrived at their camp, and having not had a chance to break in the hiking boots properly meant that he was expecting some discomfort later on. Toshiko seemed to be doing okay, as well as Gwen and Ianto. Owen had a pained look on his face, but Benjamin thought that may be from the fact that he was in the open air, something Benjamin thought didn’t happen very often if Owen could help it.

When they finally arrived at their set-up camp, all Benjamin wanted to do was check for blisters. He followed Owen toward their tent. Apparently, Ianto had gone to the women’s tent to talk with Gwen about something.

“Change your socks,” Owen suggested, kicking off his hikers before entering the tent.

“What? Why?” Benjamin asked, following him.

“It’s just one of those things,” Owen said with a shrug. “Dry socks and mitts keep you happier longer.”

“How do you know?” Benjamin enquired.

“Picked it up the last time we went camping,” Owen replied with a slight shudder.

“Oh,” Benjamin said, deciding not to ask further. Over the past week that he had been with Torchwood, he had quickly learned that there were some things that were not talked about.

Benjamin started pulling pajamas, long johns, and socks out of his pack so he could find them when it was time for bed, but looked up when Ianto came into the tent.

“This wasn’t what I was expecting,” Ianto said, ducking so he wouldn’t hit the roof of the tent.

“You were expecting sunshine and rainbows?” Owen asked with a snicker.

“No,” Ianto sighed. “I was expecting more hiking or something, I’m not quite sure. At least there’s no way we can come across a refrigerator on this trip.”

“Are you sure about that?” Owen mused. “There could be one on the trail, solar-powered and just waiting to be used.”

“No, thank you,” Ianto shuddered. “I have no idea what would be in there, and I’m not sure I want to.”

Benjamin listened to Owen and Ianto banter back and forth about things that made little sense to him, before Owen turned to Benjamin. “Can I see your feet?”

“Sure,” Benjamin replied, finally pulling off his socks. Owen took a quick look at Benjamin’s feet and put some moleskin on the blisters that were starting to develop. “Thank you,” Benjamin said when Owen was finished and pulled on a fresh pair of socks.

“No problem,” Owen said dismissively. “Now how about you?” he asked Ianto.

After Ianto and Owen’s feet were checked for blisters and fresh socks were put on, Benjamin and Ianto went outside to sit on mats while Owen said he was going to the women’s tent to check their feet for blisters as well.

Soon they were all sitting in a circle on sit-upons, talking about their day and what they thought of the trek. Bantering occurred among the original team members, who were talking about which was better, football and rugby. Benjamin chipped in a few comments, earning himself looks of approval from Gwen. He smiled to himself.

At five p.m. another meal of dal bhat was served, which Benjamin wolfed down. He was hungry from hiking all day, and knew tomorrow would be much the same.

Toshiko ran a scan of the area, checking for alien activity, and, finding none, remarked, “We must not be close enough yet.”

“Keep checking as we go, Tosh,” Gwen said, “and let us know when there’s a smidgen of alien activity.”

“All right.”

After dinner was done, Toshiko and Benjamin went back to their tents to grab paperbacks while the rest of the team talked with each other. It had been agreed before the trip that each person would bring two books for the plane rides and entertainment in the evening and they would all swap.

“What are you reading?” Toshiko asked as they walked back.

Benjamin showed her a battered paperback. “Edgar Rice Burroughs. I found him when I was young, and he’s still one of my favourite authors. How about you?”

“Charles Dickens’ _Martin Chuzzlewit_ ,” she said, showing him.

“Sounds about right,” Benjamin remarked. “What do you like about this job?” He paused. That hadn’t been completely out of nowhere, had it? Hopefully she would understand that he was nervous and not think that he had no idea how to talk to a woman.

Benjamin and Toshiko chatted back and forth when they sat down with the others, their books sat beside them, forgotten. Soon it was time to head to bed. They would be up early again tomorrow.

“Good night, Tosh,” Benjamin smiled.

“Good night, Ben,” Toshiko answered and went inside her tent.

Benjamin changed into his pajamas and quickly fell asleep.

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

Gwen woke up the next morning feeling a bit sore. Mountain hiking was much more physical than she had expected. She had trained while working for the police, but since joining Torchwood, she could never quite find the time to exercise, other than when she was called upon to chase a Weevil. How she was going to survive thirty-four more days of this, she wasn’t quite sure. _At least I’ll be quite fit by the time this case is over,_ she thought. _I won’t have to worry about my weight for a while._

She got up and pulled on her trekking outfit; a skirt, a sleeveless down vest, a fleece, and a lightweight waterproof shell. It wasn’t quite cold enough to start layering tights under her skirt yet. She looked over at Toshiko, who was starting to get dressed in a skirt, shirt, and jacket herself, then waited for the staff who would come to give them tea.

“Morning,” she said, glancing over.

“Morning,” Tosh replied. “How did you sleep?”

“Well, thank you. You?”

“All right.”

A tapping on the tent door announced that their tea had arrived. Gwen accepted hers gratefully, just wanting to drink something hot, and not caring whether it was coffee or not. After tea was drunk, breakfast consumed, and camp broken, it was time to head to Gupa Pokhari.

The hike was rather uneventful; Gwen chatted with Ianto for most of the way. It wasn’t until they reached Gupa Pokhari, a small village with a large Tibetan population with a small Buddhist shrine off to one side, which Gwen found rather charming.

A child ran up to the Torchwood team. “ _Mithai_ ,” he said, holding out his hand to Gwen.

“What does _mithai_ mean?” Gwen asked Raju, who was turned slightly away from the child, as if embarrassed by him.

“Candy.”

Gwen started to reach into her pocket to pull out a hard candy when Ianto pulled her aside. “I wouldn’t do that,” he muttered in a low voice.

“Why not?” Gwen asked. “It’s only candy.”

“Not exactly,” Ianto continued. “It’s encouraging begging, and his teeth are going to rot, because people don’t give toothbrushes to go along with the candy.”

“Ah,” Gwen said, understanding. She turned back to the child and Raju, being careful not to touch the child on the head. “Would we be able to make a donation to a local organisation to help these people?” she asked. The child turned away empty-handed.

“Of course,” Raju nodded. “We can even bookmark the donation for Gupa Pokhari, if you like.”

“That sounds great,” Gwen grinned. “Thank you so much for your help.”

“It’s no problem.”

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

For Gwen the trek from Gupa Pokhari to Ghunsa was quiet. The next six days were spent with Toshiko taking readings every night with no indication of an alien presence. She sensed that they must be getting closer, though. There was a presence in the air which Gwen couldn’t quite shake. Something was out there, and she was intent on finding it.

When they reached Ghunsa, the team was required to show their permits to continue their trek. It was also suggested that they take an additional day in Ghunsa which would reduce the chances of them falling ill due to acute mountain sickness later on the trek. They were at 3140 m in altitude, and they were only going to ascend higher until they reached Pang Pema, their ultimate destination.

Gwen had given the team leave to do as they liked today, as long as they remained within the town or told her if they were going off on a hike. She didn’t want to lose anyone here; not when they were so far from home. Ianto and Toshiko had decided to go on a day-trek to a local lake, partially to see if they could get more readings of the area. Owen had decided to go explore the town on his own, and Gwen had decided to stay at the campsite and read, with Benjamin to accompany her.

Gwen looked up when Benjamin softly said her name. She looked up to see him standing over her. “Yes, Ben?”

“I was wondering what the company policy was on dating,” he said, as he scuffed his foot on the ground.

“You mean like is it allowed or not?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Benjamin answered.

Gwen made sure her face would give nothing away before she thought carefully for a moment. Jack had had a “ _laissez-faire_ ” policy, which stretched to relationships within the company. She wasn’t sure if that had been the best decision. She personally thought it would be better to know what was occurring, if only for the fact that it would be easier to understand what was happening during a mission when there was a disagreement between two people who were a pair. It would still be ultimately their decision, though. She had noticed the way Benjamin had been looking at Toshiko over the past fortnight, and hoped that this might be a way for her to have a positive relationship. Mary hadn’t been the best of girlfriends, and the pining for Owen was getting a bit old, especially when Gwen privately thought that Owen would never see Toshiko as potential dating material. She hoped Benjamin would be able to give Toshiko a healthy relationship which she deserved.

“We’re pretty loose with relationship policies at Torchwood,” Gwen said. “I had an affair with Owen, which is in the past now, and Ianto had a thing with Jack, maybe he still has, I don’t know. Just as long as your relationship doesn’t affect the team, it’s all right.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“By the way, who were you thinking about when you asked?” Gwen said with a tilt of her head although she thought she knew the answer.

“Tosh,” Benjamin muttered but Gwen still heard him.

A smile spread across Gwen’s face. “That’s good. It will be good for her...” she said, almost to herself.

Dinner that night was yet another meal of dal bhat. The traditional Nepali custom required that you eat with your hand, and Gwen was getting very good at eating that way, although she still used a fork on occasion. It was interesting to experience the culture wholeheartedly, but also she couldn’t wait to be back in Cardiff, where she could eat with a knife and fork without someone giving her a strange look or marking her as a foreigner. The conversation centered around the team’s experiences that day, with Toshiko reporting that there was still no reading of alien residue, but there should be soon, if her calculations were right. Gwen asked her to keep her updated, even though she knew Toshiko would.

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

Ianto woke to his muscles aching. He was starting to get used to them hurting every time he moved. He hadn’t been very physical when he was younger, and he had only grown to like playing sports as a teenager, which helped him keep up with Torchwood Cardiff. Today was day thirteen of the trek, and they were going from Khambachen to Lhonak. They had hiked from Ghunsa to Khambachen, where they were required to take another acclimatisation day. After Lhonak was Pang Pema, where they would hopefully find some evidence of alien activity. He had talked with Gwen on the trek, and the higher they went, the more convinced she was that they would encounter traces of alien activity although when he asked her how she knew, she couldn’t explain it better than a vague impending sense. “I have a feeling.”

At the end of the five-hour trek, after Ianto had gone into his tent to change his socks, and grab his journal, he came back out and sat beside Toshiko, who was reading Dickens.

“All right, Tosh?” he asked.

“I guess so,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “I’ve just got a bit of a headache.”

“How long have you had it for?”

“Since lunch.”

“Why didn’t you tell any of us? Tell Owen?”

“I thought it would go away on its own.”

“Fair enough. Do you think you’re going to have supper tonight?”

“No, I’m not feeling that hungry.”

“Would you mind if I called Owen over to make sure it’s not something severe?”

“Sure, that’s fine.”

“Owen!” Ianto called.

“Yeah, mate?” Owen turned around from where he was talking with Benjamin.

“Would you mind taking a look at Tosh?” Ianto asked.

“Sure,” Owen walked over to where Ianto and Toshiko were sitting and sat down beside Toshiko. “What seems to be the problem?”

Ianto listened as Toshiko described her symptoms to Owen. Owen, even though he had a rough bedside manner, was still very good at what he did, which Ianto appreciated. After Owen listened to everything Toshiko said, Ianto watched as he considered all the evidence before making a decision.

“Right, it sounds like you have the beginning symptoms of acute mountain sickness. Worst case scenario is if you went ahead and kept trekking, you might fall severely ill and possibly die,” he tried to say kindly. “Best thing to do will be to stay here for another day, to not make the symptoms worse. I’ll go speak with Gwen, let her know what’s going on, and Ianto, if you could go talk to the guide with Gwen and explain what’s going on, I’m sure they would be more than happy to stay here another day.”

“Okay, sounds good. Thank you, Owen,” Ianto said with a nod.

The extra day at Lhonak allowed some of the stiffness in Ianto’s body to leave, along with the massage Gwen had given him. It was a rare moment of intimacy that they both had missed since leaving Cardiff.

The four-hour ascent to Pang Pema seemed short, especially after some of the distances they had gone over the past two weeks. Soon they were at their destination of Pang Pema, 5140 m above sea level. It had been a hard two weeks, but something should pop up on the readings. It was maddening to think there would be nothing in the mountain range at all. After yet another supper of dal bhat, which Ianto was starting to get sick of, quite frankly, Toshiko pulled out her machine to take the daily readings.

Ianto watched as she gasped, fiddled with the equipment, and stared at the screen again.

“What is it, Tosh?” he asked, getting slightly concerned by the look on her face.

“There’s alien activity here,” she answered.

“How strong is it?” Gwen asked, as Ianto felt her leaning forward beside him.

“Fairly strong. It’s not enough to give me a proper location, but there is definitely an alien presence here.”

“All right,” Gwen said, leaning back. “We’ll get better readings tomorrow, tonight we’ll rest. Thanks, Tosh.”

“No problem,” Toshiko smiled back, her expression showing excitement.


	6. Chapter 6

Toshiko opened her eyes and thought about the alien activity she had detected the day before. After two weeks of hiking with the team, they had finally found traces of alien activity, though she had almost acquired acute mountain sickness. She was ecstatic, because it meant there were new things to learn and problems to solve. She considered the best way to find the Yeti as she drank the spicy tea, which was starting to grow on her, and got herself dressed for the day.

She took a notebook with her to breakfast, and started writing down ideas. She looked up from her notebook when she felt someone sit beside her. It was Benjamin.

“All right?” he asked. “What are we doing today?”

“Fine, thanks. Still trying to figure out the best way to find stronger traces of alien activity. I’m going to have to talk it through with Gwen.”

“Ah, I see.”

They sat in comfortable silence until the others joined them and breakfast was served. Toshiko waited until everyone was done before trying to catch Gwen’s attention.

“Yes, Toshiko?” Gwen asked.

“I’ve been thinking about the best way to find the Yeti and I have a few ideas.”

“What are they?”

“I’m thinking that if each member of the team trek to specified points and take readings, I’ll be able to create a map which should show us the most probable location of the Yeti. We’ll then be able to go from there.”

Toshiko watched as Gwen appeared to be turning her suggestion over in her mind, looking for problems which may arise. “Excellent. Good job, Tosh.”

Toshiko grinned and began to work out with the others who would trek in which directions to take readings. It was decided that the team would trek in pairs to check the readings and then let Toshiko know, so she could plot the next location.

The next two days were full of recording readings and marking locations on maps. Toshiko fell into the rhythm of looking on the map for patterns, which she found soothing. After lunch on the second day of seeking for patterns, she felt someone standing beside her and looked up to see Benjamin, again, shifting from foot to foot. He looked confused about something, but appeared to have made up his mind.

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

Benjamin was feeling nervous. He wanted to ask Toshiko if she would like to share a sleeping bag with him, but the more he thought about it, the less likely he thought it could work. It wasn’t just sharing a sleeping bag, there were problems such as trying to figure out in which tent they would sleep, what the others would say, and sorting out how it would work in the morning. It wasn’t worth it, he decided. It was best to ask her out for coffee once they returned to Cardiff.

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

“Hey, Tosh?” Benjamin asked.

“Yes, Ben?” Toshiko answered, slightly distracted by trying to sort the pattern on the map in front of her.

“Can I sit...?” Benjamin sat down beside Toshiko when she nodded. “How’s it going so far?”

“Well, I think. Still haven’t quite figured out the pattern, but it’s getting clearer.”

“Can I help?”

“Sure.”

Together they plotted and bounced ideas of patterns off of each other. Toshiko began to relax and laugh a bit while she worked, which usually didn’t happen. She found she liked the feeling of it. When Gwen and Ianto came back with their readings, Toshiko began to feel confident that they actually would find the Yeti. It wasn’t so far away, only a few hours hike, and they could trek back easily if need be.

After supper Toshiko presented her findings and revealed the approximate location of the Yeti to the group and ideas were discussed on how they were going to approach it. 

“Benjamin and I think we have found the Yeti.” Tosh spread the marked up map on the dirt near Gwen, while Ianto and Owen came around to get a better look. “It’s either here or very close to here,” she pointed.

“How far of a trek is that?” Gwen asked, trying to figure out the distance markings Toshiko had written on the map.

“Not far, just an hour or so. If we get up early, it’s an easy trek there then we can sit and wait for it to appear to take additional readings. I’ll be able to load the information onto our database and try to figure out a way of communicating with it.”

“All right. Tosh, you should go, and you should take someone with you. I don’t want you to run into trouble and not have someone available to help. The others will be further behind for backup.”

Toshiko nodded. “Would I be able to take Ben with me? He helped me with the patterns, and it would be a good way to show him more of the work Torchwood does.

“That’s fine,” Gwen agreed. “Ben, are you okay with accompanying Tosh?”

“Yes,” Ben nodded.

“Excellent. Owen, Ianto, and I are backup then,” Gwen said.

Toshiko went to bed with a smile on her face.

Toshiko woke up the next morning and was excited about the work for today. This was it, the reason why they had trekked for two weeks in uncomfortable conditions, the same food every day, twice a day, and improper loos. Once they helped this alien, they could go back to the comforts of Cardiff. Toshiko was looking forward to it. She’d enjoyed her time in Nepal, but now she wanted to spend time in her own bed.

Toshiko and Benjamin hiked side by side to the coordinates extrapolated from the readings. Gwen, Ianto, and Owen were behind them for backup in case something went wrong, although Toshiko hoped that wouldn’t be the case. She found a spot amongst the coarse shrubs and made herself comfortable, Benjamin beside her, waiting for the Yeti.

After a few hours, the creature came into view. Toshiko gasped. It was a large, humanoid-like mammal, it was taller than she had expected, and it looked like all the descriptions collected from the internet and the people at Rum Doodle were true.

“Is this it?” Toshiko heard Benjamin ask, very softly in her ear.

“Yes,” she murmured back, and got out her scanner as quietly as possible to begin recording.

They spent several hours observing the Yeti and recording its actions. It was a large, humanoid creature, several feet tall, with shaggy cream hair all over its body. It moved more gracefully than Toshiko was expecting, picking needles off of trees, and smaller branches. The sounds it made were quiet grunts, but Toshiko thought that was because of the work it was doing, not because that was how it communicated. When it finally moved off to another spot, Toshiko let out a quiet sigh. They could return back to base camp and eat. She nudged Benjamin to stand, and together they hiked back, meeting up with Gwen, Ianto, and Owen along the way.

After supper, plans for approaching the Yeti were discussed.

“Even if we don’t spook it, we can’t communicate with it,” Owen pointed out. “I don’t think it speaks English, or even Nepali, even if it has lived on earth for fifty years. Not much of a chance to learn from your surroundings, when people think you’re a mythical creature, or when the native language is Nepalese.”

“Using the readings I received, I can create a specialised communication device. I brought a generic translator along for just this purpose,” she reassured him.

“Thanks, Tosh,” Gwen said.

The next day was spent modifying the translator to the specifications of the creature. Because the creature was a humanoid, Toshiko went through the Torchwood database and found possible ways for how it communicated. Using that information, she extrapolated a possible way the alien would speak, and put the translation settings to colloquial UK speech, so it could be easily understood. Toshiko quietly worked on it all day, only stopping for lunch and the mugs of tea that Benjamin brought her. By suppertime the translator was ready, and she showed it to Gwen after they had finished their meals.

“Are you sure it works?” Gwen asked, turning the machine over to look at it.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Toshiko said. “I modified it so we’ll be able to understand the alien easily, and it will be able to take the language it’s using and translate it into English.” Toshiko continued to explain more about the device.

Gwen appeared to be listening patiently and at the end of Toshiko’s discussion, she smiled. “Thanks, Tosh. How do you propose we get close enough to the Yeti to communicate with it?”

Toshiko thought for a moment. If they went in with firearms, it might attack, but if they didn’t take guns, they could be killed before there was a chance to react. A small group to start with would be best.

“I think there should be two of us making initial contact with the Yeti, and I think it should be Benjamin and I. We were closest to it when taking the recordings, so it may recognise us as friendly. Gwen, if you, Owen, and Ianto could stay well back until we call you, that would be great, thanks.”

Gwen was silent for a few moments, presumably turning everything over in her mind. “That will work,” she said finally. “Just let us know as soon as you run into trouble.”

“Thanks, Gwen.”

The next morning found Toshiko and Benjamin sitting quietly at the spot they had been in just a couple of days before, waiting for an appearance of the Yeti. Just before noon, the large, humanoid creature came into the clearing and sat down on a large rock. Toshiko quietly got up and headed toward the alien. She moved quietly, slowly, not wanting to spook it. She felt her heart race a bit more, and it reminded her of why she had taken a job with Torchwood in the first place. Part of it was because she didn’t want to be locked up forever, but a bigger part was because she wanted to see the world and learn from it. She received a thrill from meeting new aliens, learning about them, and even if they weren’t all good (Mary came to mind), they at least reminded her of her humanity and the fragility of life. She stood quietly in front of the Yeti, but out of arm’s reach, and waited for it to notice her. When it saw her, it startled as if it were going to run away. Toshiko quickly typed into the translator.

“Hello, I’m Toshiko Sato of Torchwood Three. We mean you no harm, we just would like to help you.”

The Yeti began to speak, not in grunts or screeches, as Toshiko had expected, but in a language which almost sounded like Nepali. Toshiko watched as the translator quickly spelled out in English what the Yeti was saying.

“I am Baxu. Why do you think I need help?”

“Hello, Baxu. I think you need help because you aren’t meant to be here. Earth isn’t your home and we have come here to help you find a way to get home.”

Toshiko watched as the Yeti seemed to study her out of its clear blue eyes. _Probably trying to decide whether it can trust me,_ Toshiko thought.

Finally it nodded. “Very well, come along. Is this all of your group?” he asked, nodding to Toshiko and a bit behind her, where she assumed Benjamin was.

“No, there’s three more, including our leader and her second-in-command.”

“Ask them to come along too.”

Toshiko turned around and softly called for Owen, Ianto, and Gwen, and watched while they came into the clearing, guns pointing down, but still available if need be.

“Hello,” Gwen said, as Toshiko typed it into the translator. “I’m Gwen Cooper, commander of Torchwood Three. This is Benjamin Stratford, Owen Harper, and Ianto Jones. What’s your name?”

“I’m Baxu. Will you really help me?”

“We can try. It’s what we do. Why can’t you go home?”

“There’s something wrong with my traveling ship. Can you fix it? I can’t,” Baxu shook its head sadly.

“Tosh is a genius with machines, she can fix it,” Gwen reassured Baxu. “Where is your ship?”

“This way,” Baxu said, and began to walk, expecting them to follow.

Toshiko looked at Gwen, who nodded, and the whole group began to follow the alien.

After a bit of walking, they came across a ship-like metal shape. It was smaller than Toshiko had been expecting, with an odd grey-green metal hull. It looked to be big enough for only one person, with strange thrusters and fins. It didn’t seem like a space ship, rather a small personal aeroplane. Toshiko would like to take a closer look at it, and had a feeling she would be able to examine it further in the next couple days.

“This is your ship?” Toshiko asked Baxu who nodded. “Can I touch it?” She watched as Baxu nodded again.

Toshiko walked slowly around the metal ship, running her hands over the smooth surface wherever she could reach, and checking it for any damage. She also took out another scanner, and recorded readings of the outer skin of the ship.

The scanner beeped and she looked at the results. “The outside is travel worthy,” she reported, “so whatever’s wrong is inside. May I take a look inside?” she addressed Baxu.

“Look as you will,” Baxu responded. “I would like to go home. I’ve been on this planet for far too long.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Toshiko ran scans over everything inside. It seemed to be rather comfortable, more so than she had expected. There was a beep when she ran it over the flight panel.

“Got it!” she called as she looked at the read out. “There’s some broken wiring.”

“Can you fix it?” Toshiko looked over and saw Gwen beside her.

“Should be able to. We brought all that equipment along for a reason.”

“Okay, good. You’ll let Baxu know?”

“Yes.”

“Thanks, Tosh.”

After explaining to Baxu what was wrong with its space ship and assuring it that she could probably fix it, Toshiko and the rest of the team hiked back to base camp. They promised to come back the next day and help.

Toshiko spent the next two days fiddling with the alien wiring and mending broken connections, with Benjamin helping her. After everything was tested, and Baxu was reassured that the repairs would make it possible for it to get back to its home planet.

Toshiko stood with the rest of the team at a distance from the space ship and watched as Baxu climbed into the cockpit of his ship. It appeared to be fiddling with dials and adjusting things to its satisfaction. It turned the engine over and Toshiko listened with satisfaction as the engine hummed. She had had no doubt the engine would work, and she had fixed the wiring so an occurrence of Baxu crash landing wouldn’t occur again for a long time.

Baxu appeared to give some sort of shake of his head, and the ship began to lift off. Toshiko watched as the ship exited the atmosphere then turned away, following the rest of the group.

Toshiko hiked back to base camp with a spring in her step: tomorrow they would be able to hike back down the mountain and go home.


	7. Chapter 7

The morning after the Yeti had been sent back to its planet Gwen arose eagerly. Things had gone quickly, smoothly, and no one had been hurt or killed. They could hike back down Kanchenjunga and go home, finally. Today they were hiking across the Mirgin La trail to connect them to the Kanchenjunga south trail so they could fly back to Kathmandu from Suketar. She couldn’t wait.

Camp was packed up and the seven hour descent to Khambachen from Pang Pema felt almost easy to Gwen after two weeks of going up mountainsides. She had a good chat with Ianto along the way.

“So, what all needs to be done when we get back?” she asked, partway down the side of a mountain.

“Paperwork needs to be caught up on, cleaning of the Hub should probably occur, and we should catch up with UNIT. We also need to have Janet moved back to the Hub. I don’t think UNIT will like to keep her for longer than necessary,” Ianto chuckled.

“Sounds good,” Gwen agreed. “Anything else?”

“There’s that new restaurant that opened in city centre while we were away as well. Would you like to go?”

“Yes,” Gwen smiled. “What time would you like a reservation for?”

“Seven.”

“Perfect.”

She was looking forward to having a quiet night or two alone with Ianto after being been with the team all day, every day, for the past three weeks. She loved her team, but felt that lately, there had been a bit too much togetherness.

The next day was a four-and-a-half descent to Ghunsa, where they would connect with the Mirgin La trail. During dinner that night, it was decided that they would take the full three days to hike the pass, to ensure that they would be able to cross safely.

Gwen felt that the hike across the pass was all right, except for whenever they had to climb over a pass. Every time Gwen went over a pass, she would reach back for Ianto, helping him up and making sure he was safe before she could continue.

On day thirty-four of their trek, they finally reached Suketar, where they camped for the night before flying back to Kathmandu from the domestic airport. Gwen was happy to not have to attempt to survive another harrowing bus ride on those mountainous roads. The ride on the way to the starting point for Kanchenjunga north had been enough to deter her from wanting to ride another bus for a long while.

The flight back to Kathmandu was uneventful and the team found taxis that would take them back to the International Guest House, where she had booked rooms for a few days before their flight back to Cardiff.

Gwen led the way as they trooped into the mens’ room, where a cot was already set up. They dropped their bags on the floor wearily.

“Right,” Gwen said. “What would you like to do now?”

“Not more walking,” Owen said with a groan. “I don’t want to take another step today.”

“I agree with Owen,” Toshiko piped up. “I want to rest tonight.”

“So food and drink here at the hotel sound good for the night?” Ianto suggested.

“Yes, perfect,” Benjamin agreed.

“All right,” Gwen said, struggling to get up from where she lay on one of the beds. “Tosh and I will go to our room, and we’ll meet you downstairs in an hour, okay?”

“Grand,” Owen said, partially asleep already.

“We’ll see you later,” Toshiko said.

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

Gwen greatly enjoyed the four days in Kathmandu before their flight back to Cardiff. It was nice to take a break for a bit before getting back to life in Cardiff with the madness that was no doubt waiting for them there.

The flight back to Cardiff followed the same route as when they had flown to Kathmandu. When they finally reached Cardiff, it was afternoon, and there wasn’t much to be done that couldn’t wait until the next day. Gwen gave the team the rest of the day off, and watched as Toshiko and Benjamin went off together, and Owen in his own car.

“Ready to go home?” Ianto asked, from beside her.

Gwen grinned at him. “Yes.”

“Come on then,” and he held his hand out to her, which she took, anticipating a good night’s sleep and the ability to do proper laundry. It was good to be home.

~TW~TW~TW~TW~TW~

Gwen leaned back in her chair and sighed. Two weeks had passed since their adventure in the Himalaya, and it was back to normal for Torchwood. Or whatever passed for normal in their line of work.

Her mobile phone rang and Gwen picked it up.

“Hello?” she said. “Hi, Andy. Yes, yes, it was fine. There’s been reports of what? That definitely is one of ours. Don’t worry about it, we’ll take care of it. Thanks for letting me know. Yes, I will be careful. Bye,” Gwen set the phone down.

She walked out of her office to the catwalk overlooking the rest of the Hub.

“All right,” she called. “I just received a call from Andy. Apparently there’s a blowfish driving a sports car that we ought to check out. Let’s go, people!”

It was going to be just another day at Torchwood.


End file.
